Saturday July 28 6:16 PM ET

William Kennedy Smith Reportedly Eyes House Race

CHICAGO (Reuters) - William Kennedy Smith, a third-generation member of America's most famous political family, is quietly exploring running for a seat in Congress from Chicago's North Side, the Chicago Sun-Times said in its Sunday editions.

Smith, a doctor and a crusader on behalf of land mine victims, would campaign for the seat being vacated by Rep. Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat who is leaving Congress to run for governor of Illinois, the newspaper reported.

The 39-year-old Smith is the son of the late Stephen Smith and his wife, Jean Kennedy Smith, former ambassador to Ireland and the sister of Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy.

Smith was acquitted of rape in 1991. The accusation stemmed from a beach incident after a night he spent at a Palm Beach, Florida, bar with Edward Kennedy and the senator's son Patrick, now a Democratic U.S. representative from Rhode Island.

``In addition to focus groups, two other knowledgeable sources told the Sun-Times that Smith has discussed a bid for the House,'' the paper said. Smith was not immediately available for comment.

Smith, who has never run for political office, founded Physicians Against Land Mines. An adjunct instructor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Northwestern University Medical School and president of the Center for International Rehabilitation in Chicago, he lives in Lincoln Park, on the near North Side of Chicago.

His cousin, Chris Kennedy, 38, runs the Merchandise Mart in Chicago and is considering a Democratic bid for the post of lieutenant governor of Illinois. Chris Kennedy's sister, Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, is preparing to run for governor of that state, the Sun-Times said.

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